Camp star: It's easy to select third-round draft pick Kenny Golladay as the highlight through the first week as the former Northern Illinois and St. Rita product has shown a knack for making plays downfield. When the Lions determined it was unlikely receiver Anquan Boldin (67 receptions, team-high eight...

Five years ago a fantasy football team owner was able to go into the draft with a simple strategy: Grab running backs with the first two picks and figure out the rest from there. Eleven of the first 12 picks were running backs, with Calvin Johnson the...

Calvin Johnson's retirement after the 2015 NFL season came as a surprise to many. Johnson was only 30 years old at the time and was still considered one of the best receivers in the league.
So why did he prematurely end his career?
Injuries and, as...

As a kid growing up in Sterling, Ohio, Nick Hostetler learned all about former Indians Gold Glove third baseman Buddy Bell, his father's favorite player.
When Nick became old enough to identify talent himself, he invested emotionally in the development...

Isn't it fun, this game of hide-and-seek that NFL quarterbacks are playing with concussions. Maybe Tom Brady had one, or maybe he didn't — find his symptoms, win a free prize. Drew Brees says he would conceal one from his own wife, which conjures an image...

Gene Steratore bounds from the officials' locker room at Northwestern's Welsh-Ryan Arena, following a roped-off path to the court.
"Can you put a couple of pretzels aside for halftime?" he asks a concessionaire. "We'll tip you well."
Steratore is...

The Tribune's Brad Biggs answers your Bears questions weekly.
We have heard a lot of talk this offseason about trading for Jimmy Garoppolo or drafting a quarterback at No. 3 along with Alshon Jeffery's contact status. Truth is there is a lot more to...

For most owners, Week 14 of the NFL season marked the beginning of the fantasy football playoffs. Longtime fantasy owners know that a dominant regular season means absolutely nothing once the playoffs begin. Even the deepest rosters with superstars have...

The Chicago Bears talk all the time about finishing, about taking wining efforts and turning them into actual victories. Yet over the last two seasons, as the Bears have won only 30 percent of their games under coach John Fox, the offense has consistently...

It was a rare Thanksgiving treat: A game in Detroit that actually mattered. And the Lions made it count Thursday afternoon, pulling off another fourth-quarter semi-miracle to beat the Minnesota Vikings and take over first place in the NFC North.
A...

4 storylines
Refreshed: The Bears emerged from their open date a recharged and more complete group. By week's end, only one player — rookie cornerback Deiondre' Hall — did not participate in practice. That should help get the depth chart closer to its...

Elliott Hochstein had never played wide receiver before his sophomore year.He's been a quick learner."It was intriguing to me," Hochstein said. "I'm a Lions fan and I always looked to (former receiver) Calvin Johnson as the coolest dude in the league....

There's a reason we often use the phrase "on any given Sunday" when we discuss football, scratching our heads when a "better" team is defeated by an "inferior" ballclub. But this phrase has long applied to the fantasy side of the game as well. Week 4 of...

4 storylines
Sick like a Fox: In a season marred by health setbacks, the Bears had one particularly notable addition to their injury report this week: John Fox. The head coach missed Wednesday's practice dealing with a stomach bug but rallied quickly...

Seventeen times over the last nine years, the Bears' preparation for games against the Lions would begin with the mission to stop Calvin Johnson. At Halas Hall they could turn on Lions game video and easily find Megatron, No. 81, dominating defensive...

Lions receiver Golden Tate joined the Bears media via conference call Wednesday morning as the two teams prepare to play Sunday at Soldier Field.
And in an enthusiastic conversation, Tate talked about everything from Jim Bob Cooter’s hurry-up offense...

Lines and over/unders as of Thursday evening.
49ERS (1-0)
AT PANTHERS (0-1)
Noon Sunday
Panthers by 13 (O/U 44 1/2)
The 49ers were impressive with their ball-control offense, and their front seven looked solid. But the Panthers have more playmakers...

Predictions
Brad Biggs
You're going to have a healthy dose of unknown to start every season, but there seems to be even more here. The Bears can't be sure how their rebuilt offensive line is going to perform as it has taken on several different...

Are the Bears gonna be a playoff team? -- @TomWade18 You boarding a plane to Las Vegas in the coming weeks, Tom? All 32 teams are feeling pretty good about their situation right now. Well, most of them anyway. The Broncos are Super Bowl champs but...